Iowa State Cyclones Face Stiff Competition For New Mexico Aggies Lineman

The Iowa State Cyclones are one of many teams trying to get a talented transfer from the New Mexico Aggies

Nov 19, 2022; Columbia, Missouri, USA; A general view a New Mexico State Aggies helmet against the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Iowa State Cyclones have still been very busy working the transfer portal, and they have recently offered a talented defensive lineman. However, the competition is going to be stiff. 

It has been a strong start to the portal opening for new head coach Jimmy Rogers and the Cyclones. This was a team that was decimated following head coach Matt Campbell's taking the job with the Penn State Nittany Lions. With a majority of his coaching staff following him to Penn State, it came as no surprise to see a lot of players enter the portal. 

So far, many of those players have followed Campbell to the Nittany Lions, but Rogers has also done a nice job of bringing over some of his talent from the Washington State Cougars. While bringing over talent from his former team is important, so is looking elsewhere. 

Rogers and his coaching staff have seemingly cast a wide net to try to add some more talent, and so far, it has worked out well. Recently, they have made an offer to the talented defensive lineman Ezra Christensen from the New Mexico Aggies, but there are a number of teams hoping for him to commit. 

Competition Appears Stiff for Ezra Christensen

Iowa state offered pic.twitter.com/JWu8JLtRlQ

— Ezra Christensen (@EzraChristense5) January 8, 2026

Currently, there are a number of big programs that have offered Christensen, and the Cyclones are one of them. Rogers and defensive coordinator Jesse Bobbit have done a really nice job of bringing over a lot of defensive talent, and this unit is shaping up to be a strength of the team. 

The early focus has also been on adding players in the trenches, with depth clearly being important for the program. Adding Christensen would certainly help with that, and his interest from schools like the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who also offered him, makes him clearly a talented player. 

In 2025, he had a breakout campaign with the Aggies, totaling 42 tackles, six sacks, and one forced fumble. This was a significant jump in production from Christensen, and his ability to get after the passer at a high level is undoubtedly a reason why he is generating so much interest from different programs. 

With the team battling plenty of competition, this will be a nice early task to see how Rogers and the coaching staff on defense are able to do for a fairly coveted transfer. So far, the results have been good, and landing Christensen would be a nice addition to the defensive front.